“In our fourth year as a sponsor of KAB’s Great American Cleanup, we wanted to more actively assist KAB affiliates by providing direct funding to help them with their local education efforts,” said Kim Frankovich, vice president of sustainability at Solo. “These grants will expand existing programs or develop new ones to educate and promote awareness about proper end-of-life options for our products.”

“More and more communities are expanding recycling and composting options for the paper, plastic and compostable products we make,” added Frankovich. "KAB affiliates, with their dedicated grassroots volunteer base, are in a perfect position to tailor programs specific to their communities’ needs. Their hands-on approach to making a difference in their communities helps us spread the word about proper foodservice packaging disposal options. We thank all the affiliates who applied for their hard work and creativity. Congratulations to the seven winning KAB affiliates.”

Participating affiliates were challenged to create proposals for educating community members about the harmful effects of littering foodservice packaging as well as for teaching the correct disposal options, including recycling and composting for foodservice packaging where available.

“The daily choices we all make about products and packaging – what we purchase, recycle, reuse, and ultimately dispose of – have a huge impact on our communities and the environment,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We’re thankful for Solo Cup Company’s commitment to helping our local affiliates promote smart, sustainable choices and actions through this grant program, and we look forward to seeing the results of these grants in the winning communities.”

The projects include:

• Keep Yankton Beautiful, Yankton, S.D. – Purchasing waste and recycling containers for the local high school and educating incoming students on proper waste disposal• Montgomery Clean City Commission, Montgomery, Ala. – Installing waste and recycling containers throughout local schools and communicating to students the correct disposable options through an awareness program• Keep Oak Park Beautiful, Oak Park, Ill. – Educating community members and local businesses about an existing program that collects food scraps, compostable paper and yard-waste for composting• Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, Philadelphia, Penn. – Purchasing and distributing environmentally preferable products to vendors at food festivals and promoting infrastructure for composting• Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, Cincinnati, Ohio – Partnering with the Cincinnati Zoo to educate elementary students about the environment and proper waste disposal• Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Knoxville, Tenn. – Supporting zero waste festivals and a family recycling challenge in the community• Keep Cocke County Beautiful, Cocke County, Tenn. – Purchasing a recycling trailer for proper disposal of recyclables in elementary schools and distribution of litter containers for cars at schools to lessen the amount of auto-generated litter

The affiliates’ projects will be implemented during 2012 with results to be reported by March 2013.

About Solo Cup CompanySolo Cup Company is exclusively focused on the manufacture of single-use products used to serve food and beverages for the consumer/retail, foodservice and international markets. Solo has broad product offerings available in paper, plastic, foam, post-consumer recycled content andannually renewable materials, and creates brand name products under the Solo®, Sweetheart®, Creative Carryouts® and Bare® by Solo® names. The company was established in 1936 and has a global presence with facilities in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Panama and the United States. In May 2012, Solo Cup Company became part of Dart Container.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.Keep America Beautiful, established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For more information, visit www.kab.org.